Advertisement
Home Food & Recipes Tips & How-to

Weird cooking oil substitute

'This really works'
Getty Images

Run out of cooking oil? While you might be tempted to reach for the butter, there’s another substitute you can try.

Advertisement

It turns out mayonnaise could be the secret frying ingredient you didn’t know you needed.

In a column published on the Good Food website, Richard Cornish explains how to fry food with Kewpie mayonnaise.

“When you squeeze a dollop into a hot pan it reacts a lot like butter,” Richard said.

However, the condiment is sensitive to heat.

Advertisement

“If the pan is too hot, the proteins in the egg component will burn, making the oil brown and giving an unpleasant taste,” he added. “It’s not an ideal frying medium as the smoking point is too low, but if you run out of oil you can use it to cook eggs and sauté vegetables.”

Despite this, an article published in LA Times, explains why we should be grilling with mayonnaise.

grilling
(Credit: Paul Hermann on Unsplash) (Credit: Paul Hermann on Unsplash)

“Mayonnaise really works, “Meathead Goldwyn, founder of the popular website, AmazingRibs told the LA Times. “It sticks really well to the food, helps release food from the hot grill surface, and gets a beautiful golden colour.”

Advertisement

Mayonnaise is an emulsion, which means you have small droplets of oil surrounded by egg yolk, which allows it to stick to the food you are cooking making it perfect for grilling meat. 

“Oil and water don’t mix, which is why it’s so hard to get the fat to adhere to foods you want to grill, particularly meats,” The Times explains. “So as you grill, you’re left with a very limited amount of oil to keep the food from sticking. Additionally, as the oil runs off, it’s likely to result in more flare-ups.”

RELATED: 3 cooking liquids you should never throw out

Related stories


Advertisement